On November 18-19, the G-20 nations will hold their annual summit, this year in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to be attended by the leaders of 19 sovereign nations, plus the European Union and the African Union. (I know, that’s 21 . . . but it is what it is.)

One of those 19 sovereign nations is Russia, and normally Vladimir Putin would be in attendance. But in March of 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for Putin’s arrest based on accusations of the war crime of forcefully deporting children from Ukraine.

This year’s G-20 host country, Brazil, is a state party to the Rome Statute, which ratified the establishment of the ICC in 2002, and as such would be obliged to arrest Vladimir Putin if he were to set foot on Brazilian territory.

But . . .

Brazil is also one of the founding members — along with Russia, India, China, and South Africa — of BRICS, an organization masterminded by Putin with the ultimate goal of creating a new world order to undermine the political and economic dominance of the Western-oriented NATO and EU.

And Brazil has established a . . . shall we say . . . comfortable and beneficial relationship with Russia.

So you can see the problem: Brazil has a choice between arresting the president of its BRICS partner and economic benefactor, or violating its obligations under the ICC’s Rome Statute.

There is, of course, a way out of the dilemma, but the decision is not Brazil’s to make: it’s Putin’s choice. He could simply stay home and attend online, as he did for a meeting of BRICS in South Africa last year. Asked whether a decision had been made in this regard, our old buddy, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, had a very succinct answer:

“No. When a decision is made, we will let you know.” [Anthony Deutsch, Reuters, October 14, 2024.]

Hey, Dima . . . you’re sounding a little testy there. Stress getting you down, sweetie?

*. *. *

Now enter Ukraine, which unfortunately is not yet a member of anything, though it’s working on membership in NATO, the EU, and the ICC. But it obviously has a vested interest in making life as difficult as possible for Vladimir Putin . . . which is only fair, considering what he’s done to them. So Ukraine’s top prosecutor has called on authorities in Brazil to carry out the ICC’s warrant if Putin does make an appearance there next month.

And so — typically where Russia is concerned — we wait. Will we hear further from Dmitry Peskov? From Putin himself? Or will they simply choose to surprise us in November?

Stay tuned for the next installment of “Life With Vlad.” It’s the soap opera that keeps going, and going, and going . . .

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/16/24